Baby Blues
by jylener22
Summary: Gray and Lucy are about to have a new addition to their family. When the baby finally arrives, their firstborn is extremely disappointed, but given enough time that may change. Written for blue-queen-kiko on Tumblr using her OC's.
1. Chapter 1

"Daddy? What'cha doing?"

Glancing up quickly, Gray saw his little son, Silver, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and trying to stifle a yawn as he padded into the kitchen. Fortunately, while Silver did greatly admire and take after his father, the boy had not developed the habit of undressing himself at random times. Not that Silver hadn't tried before, it was just that he learned not to when his mother began taking away cookies and sweets after dinner as a consequence.

Returning his attention to the stove, Gray replied, "Making breakfast. You hungry?"

"Mm-hmm," said Silver before giving his father a bemused frown and asking, "Isn't that Mommy's job?"

"Not necessarily," answered Gray as he turned the bacon in the pan, "Mommy usually makes breakfast because she's up first, but Daddy can cook too."

"Where's Mommy?"

"Mommy's still sleeping," said Gray as he began flipping pancakes to cook on the other side, "She didn't sleep well last night."

"Why not?" asked Silver as he came over to stand next to Gray. The boy was a little taller than Gray's knee and was gazing up at his dad with wide brown eyes.

Turning down the heat on the stove slightly, Gray bent over to pick Silver up as he said, "Well, because the baby is supposed to come any day now and your mommy's…" he paused as he thought of a way to be truthful and yet tactful, "she's anxious to meet the baby."

"Yeah," said Silver as he grinned at Gray, "I wanna meet my brother and teach him magic."

Internally, Gray groaned. As soon as Lucy and Gray had explained to Silver that he was about to be a big brother, the boy had been convinced that the baby would be a boy. Probably he had seen how Bixslow and Lisanna's son, Klaus, looked up to his older cousin Ivan, who was Elfman and Evergreen's son, and wanted someone younger to act the same way with him. Even when Lucy and Gray had gently broken the news that the doctor said the baby was going to be a girl, Silver had stubbornly refused to believe them. Together, they had decided not to talk about the baby's sex in front of Silver. Gray also went to the guild and told everyone that he and Lucy would be ever so grateful if they would all do the same.

"Sure," said Gray slowly as he walked over and set Silver down on one of the tall kitchen chairs, "When the baby is big enough, you can help Mommy and I teach them all about magic."

"Good," said Silver with a grin before he cupped a hand around his mouth and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't tell Mommy," he quickly checked over his shoulder before saying, "but I hope he likes Ice Make the best."

Fighting hard to keep himself from snorting with laughter, Gray mimicked pulling a zipper over his lips and nodded in understanding. Since Silver had inherited Gray's powers, more than likely the new baby would take after Lucy. However, Gray would be lying if he said a small part of him wasn't hoping for another Ice Mage in the family.

"What are you two up to?"

The Fullbuster males looked up simultaneously as the matriarch of the family shuffled sleepily into the kitchen. Gray couldn't help but grin as he was struck by the thought that Silver didn't just take after him. His wife and son were able to do the most adorable things without realizing what they were doing. He loved that about them.

"Nothing dear," answered Gray nonchalantly as he went back to making sure the food didn't overcook, "Silver was just keeping me company while I made some breakfast."

"Is that so?" said Lucy with a warm smile as she walked over to give her son a hug and kiss, "Would you help me set the table, Silver?"

"Sure!" exclaimed the boy as he leaped off the chair with a whoop of excitement.

This time Gray couldn't contain his laughter as he took in the sight of his son flying through the air while his wife's brown eyes widened in alarm and panic as her arms automatically reached out to catch her son a few milliseconds too late. Fortunately, Silver landed firmly on his feet after which he turned to look up at Lucy and gave her a rather impish grin.

Eyes flashing in anger and irritation, Lucy whirled on her husband and demanded, "Stop laughing! It'll only encourage him!"

Then, turning to her son with one hand on her hip and the other rubbing her belly, Lucy said emphatically, "And as for you, there are better ways to get down from a chair."

For only being two years old, Silver was a pretty intelligent kid in Gray's estimation. The boy knew when to fight and when to surrender. He also knew how to do the latter in a way that would almost instantly put him back in his mother's good graces, but not in an insincere or phony way. Another thing Gray and his son shared in common, though, Gray had to admit grudgingly that Silver did have an advantage over him.

Looking up into Lucy's eyes, Silver said, "I'm sorry, Mommy."

Bending over to ruffle her son's hair, Lucy said with a smile, "I forgive you, sweetie."

Walking over to the cupboard to pull out a large serving platter, Gray interjected in a mock serious tone, "Yes, you shouldn't do anything to scare your mother right now, Silver."

When both his wife and son looked at him with matching blank expressions, Gray tried not to choke as he fought his laughter and said, "You might scare the baby right out of her."

After gaping at Gray in shock for a few seconds, Lucy said furiously, "Don't put weird ideas into his head!"

"Yeah, that would be pretty weird."

All three Fullbusters turned towards the familiar but completely unexpected owner of the voice. Only Silver seemed excited about seeing them as he threw his hands in the air and charged towards them.

"Natsu!" the boy exclaimed as he jumped into the Dragon Slayer's outstretched arms.

"Hey there, icy squirt!" said Natsu as he caught the boy, tossed him in the air, caught him again and then sat Silver on his right shoulder as he asked, "How's it going?"

Before Silver could answer, Gray growled, "Natsu, you stupid flame brain, why are you breaking into my house?!"

Narrowing his eyes at Gray, Natsu said in a low tone, "It's not breaking in when you spend two whole minutes knocking at the door and no one answers, so you walk around to find an open window, popsicle retard."

"That's still breaking and entering!" retorted Gray, "No one invited you in!"

During the dialogue between her husband and their teammate, Lucy's expression had morphed from surprise and shock at Natsu's unexpected arrival to surprise and shock for a completely different reason.

"Gray…" Lucy began before she was interrupted by Natsu.

"Someone would have invited me in if they had actually answered the door like they're supposed to!"

Clenching his fists, Gray shot back, "No they wouldn't have because we were about to have breakfast together as a family! That doesn't include you!"

"Gray…" Lucy tried again, but the two men were too far gone in their rivalry to notice anything or anyone else.

"I never said that I wanted any breakfast!" Natsu retorted, "I just came to say hi!"

"You could do that at the guild!"

"It's not the same!"

"It is the same!"

"It's not!"

"It is!"

"It's not!"

"It is!"

"It's-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Both men flinched and turned their full attention on Lucy. During the argument, Silver had watched the heated exchange with an expression of fascination and a slight smile. Now, however, his wide-eyed and slightly apprehensive expression was a perfect match to the ones on Gray's and Natsu's face.

Wincing in pain, but still managing to look very much in control, Lucy said through gritted teeth, "Gray, you need to get the bags now and take me to the hospital."

It took a few moments before understanding dawned on Gray's face and he immediately raced out of the room. The bags had been pretty much fully packed a month previously with only the toiletries missing. Those items Gray quickly swiped from the bathroom and almost haphazardly packed in the appropriate pouches before sprinting back down the stairs.

While Gray was gone, Lucy gripped the counter and said, "Natsu, since you're here, you can take Silver to the guild with you for a while."

"Mommy?" asked Silver with a slight quaver in his voice, "What's wrong?"

Giving her son as strong a smile as she could manage, Lucy said, "Nothing's wrong, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy need to go to the hospital and-" she couldn't finish her sentence as she winced and groaned in pain.

Lifting Silver up and setting him down so that he was sitting on his shoulders, Natsu said, "Don't worry about Lucy, pipsqueak. She and Gray are going to the hospital to get your little si-" he quickly corrected himself, saying, "They're going to get a baby while we go have fun at the guild! What do you think about that?"

Eyes nearly popping out of his head, Silver said in an awed tone, "I scared the baby out of Mommy…"

 **Author's Note:**

This is a little something I put together for blue-queen-kiko on Tumblr after I saw her adorable Graylu family pictures that she drew. Don't know how much more of this I will do, but probably at least another chapter or two.

I enjoy Fairy Tail and it's characters, but it's not a manga or anime that I faithfully follow, so if there are things about characters, their powers or events that happened in canon that I get wrong, I do apologize ahead of time. I welcome any constructive criticism, tips, ideas or suggestions for things I can do or improve upon.

Hope you guys enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2

It was about four in the afternoon of that same day when the Fairy Tail Guild was informed of the arrival of the newest member of the Fullbuster family. When almost every guild member rose as a whole and prepared to rush to the hospital to greet the new infant, Mirajane, Laxus, Erza and Jellal stood and blocked the door. Crossing his arms across his chest, Laxus fixed everyone with a significant scowl as Mirajane acted as the antithesis of her husband and smiled complacently at everyone as she spoke.

"Now, now everyone," Mirajane said while holding her hands out with the palms facing up, "I know you're all anxious to meet Gray and Lucy's baby, but it might be best for most of us to wait for them to bring the baby to meet us."

"Either that," added Jellal reasonably, "or we all take turns going and visiting them for no longer than ten minutes at a time with at least a half hour break in-between groups of visitors."

After much bickering and debating amongst themselves, the guild decided to wait for Gray and Lucy to bring the baby to them. The only exceptions were to be Erza, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, Carla and Silver. There had been some debate about whether or not Gajeel would go, but as he had no interest in going without Levy and if Levy were allowed to go that would break the whole 'team members only' rule thereby giving everyone their right as Gray and/or Lucy's friend and comrade to go and see the baby whenever they wanted, only those five were given pretty much the entire guild's blessing to be the first ones to meet the new baby. In the end, only Makarov went to sulk in a corner for not being allowed to go and see his 'guild grandbaby'. He didn't grumble too loudly, however, as a certain married couple might hear him and give him a consequence like only allowing him to drink water or juice while he was in the guild for a week or more. It had happened before and that had been the worst week of Makarov's life...

* * *

"Which way to Lucy Fullbuster's room?"

The nurse sitting at the front desk was completely absorbed in perusing the previous week's issue of _Sorcerer Weekly_ and so turned around in a manner that suggested her to be highly agitated at the sudden interruption. Her tight expression of annoyance quickly morphed into one of slack nervousness as she looked up and saw THE Erza Scarlet-Fernandez standing before her. Fortunately for the nurse, Erza hadn't noticed the woman's show of annoyance as she was looking around to see if Gray or someone she knew was walking around the hospital halls.

Smile quavering, the nurse's hands trembled visibly as she reached over to flip through a chart and tried to keep her voice steady as she said, "'Fullbuster' you say? I'm sure I saw that name recently..."

"Hey Erza!" Natsu called out as he approached the front desk, "So, where are th-OOF!"

The nurse's mouth popped open a split second after Erza landed a punch in Natsu's gut after which she wrapped a hand around his mouth and pulled him close enough for her to growl ominously, "We are in a hospital, Natsu. You are to keep your voice down in here. Understood?"

Unable to talk, Natsu nodded as best he could and then started hacking and trying to regain his breath as soon as Erza released him. When she turned her back to refocus her attention on the nurse, Natsu knew better than to say anything, but that didn't stop him from rubbing his stomach and glaring daggers at Erza's back.

For her part, the nurse lost what little self-control she still had and said in a half-squeal, half-squeak, "The Fullbusters are in Room 512! Fifth floor! Go right!"

"Thank you," replied Erza with a small smile before turning to look at Natsu and the others who had just joined them and said authoritatively, "Move out."

Holding Silver's hand, Wendy gave the nurse a courteous half-bow then smiled down at the two-year-old boy as she said, "Hear that? Your mommy and daddy are waiting for us on the fifth floor."

"And my baby brother?" asked Silver in a mixed tone of excitement and slight trepidation.

Wendy's smile became a little forced as she replied as brightly as possible, "Yes. The baby is waiting for us there too."

Silver didn't say anything, but instead took off towards the stairwell and dragging Wendy behind him. The rest of the group exchanged matching expressions of apprehension.

"Shouldn't we tell him?" asked Happy, "Gray and Lucy are probably pretty tired and might not want to deal with Silver throwing a fit or something."

"Possibly," replied Carla, "but they are his parents. We're not."

"Besides," said Natsu, "maybe Gray and Lucy were wrong all along and the baby actually is a boy."

Everyone, Happy included, turned to give Natsu almost identical incredulous expressions. Then, without a word, the three of them silently followed after Wendy and Silver. For his part, Natsu smacked a hand over his eyes and let out a sigh before heading for the stairs. While it hadn't been the dumbest thing he had ever said, Natsu was pretty sure that statement might at least make a Top 20 list or something. Not that he would ever admit the fact to anyone.

* * *

"Hey there. You're content now after that diaper change and getting to eat, right? That's right. You go ahead and yawn, baby girl."

As much as she wished to take a little cat-nap before her friends and son arrived, Lucy just couldn't resist taking in the sight and sound of her husband spending some quality time with little Mila. While what he was doing could only be described as 'baby talk' in the loosest sense as he was speaking in his regular tone of voice, it was her first time hearing anything like it from Gray. After Silver had been born, Gray had been fine with holding, changing, washing and doing most things with his son, but he hadn't really started 'talking' with Silver until the boy began attempting to talk at just under a year old.

Shifting slightly to try and find a more comfortable position, Lucy allowed herself to consider why Gray was choosing to do this with their second child. After a minute or two, Lucy concluded that it was probably for one of a few reasons. Possibly Gray had unconsciously tried to model to their infant son how to be a man of few words. Another possibility might be that he had seen others at the guild speak in that manner to infants and toddlers and promised himself that he would never be _that_ person. Or, and Lucy thought this the most likely reason, Gray had simply been trying to figure out the whole 'being a daddy' business with Silver and been too focused/concerned about not screwing up his child's life. Now that he had some experience, Gray was far more comfortable this time around and so could allow himself to loosen up a little.

Just before there was a knock at the door, Lucy also thought about the fact that while she knew Gray would love both his children equally, there was usually a special sort of connection between fathers and daughters. Fathers often saw their daughters as princesses, angels or other beautiful creatures and then felt it was their duty to protect and provide for. From what she could see, Lucy was fairly certain Gray was going to fit into that category.

With a kind of sixth sense, Lucy realized that the others had arrived and so said to Gray, "They're here," to which Gray acknowledged by turning to give Lucy a mock grimace that wasn't entirely fake.

Hearing a soft rap at the door, Lucy pushed herself up a little higher, quickly made sure she was decently robed and then said, "Come in."

Wendy entered first with Silver clutching her hand. The instant he saw his mother, Silver dropped the girl's hand to race over and try to climb up next to Lucy. As Gray still had his hands full, Wendy went over to help lift Silver onto the bed where the boy promptly crawled over to wrap his arms around his mother and curl up next to her. Seeing her son and how desperate he was to see her rejuvenated Lucy's energy. As he got older, Silver was less inclined to snuggle and be affectionate, especially in front of other people. Lucy didn't mind as it made the times when he did come to her all the more precious.

Running her fingers gently through Silver's jet black hair (the fact that his name was a misnomer given his hair color gave her a bit of amusement from time to time), Lucy said soothingly, "I'm so glad to see you, Silver. Have you been having a good day?"

Rather than answering Lucy's question, Silver looked up at his mother with a completely serious expression as he asked, "Mommy, can I ask something?"

"Of course, sweetie."

"Did..." Silver faltered for a second before finally asking, "...did I scare the baby out of you?"

Had the question been asked with just the Fullbuster adults in the room, the entire situation could have been dealt with without anyone being the wiser. As it was, Natsu was the only one with a frame of reference for Silver's comment and so the others automatically wished to be enlightened as to the meaning of the boy's words. Fortunately, however, both Gray and Lucy were able to give the others significant looks and gestures to tell them not to ask questions right now. Happy was the only one whose curiosity was too great to contain, but Carla managed to reach him in enough time to clamp his mouth shut.

With the 'crisis' having been averted, Lucy said in a teasing yet calming tone, "No, sweetie. You didn't scare the baby or mommy at all."

Lifting his head up enough to give his mother a confused frown, Silver asked, "But why did you and daddy have to come to the hospital? Hospitals are for sick people."

Looking up at her husband, Lucy saw what she imagined to be a perfect imitation of her own expression. Neither of them had considered telling Silver a 'version' of why they would need to go to the hospital to get the baby. Lucy also realized that Silver had seen her wincing from the contractions that morning before they rushed to the hospital.

"No wonder he came charging up to see me," Lucy thought to herself before she hugged Silver a little closer as she said, "Oh, sweetie. Hospitals can also be places where mommies and daddies come to get their babies."

"Why?"

"Because..." Lucy had to pause and think of how to tactfully yet honestly phrase what she wanted to say, "sometimes when babies are born they aren't very strong or healthy, so they need a hospital to take care of them until they feel better."

Sensing that Silver was about to panic, Gray stepped forward and said calmly, "But when Mommy and Daddy came today, the baby was just fine. See for yourself."

Gray sat down on the bed and turned so that Silver could look at his new sibling. Wide-eyed, Silver very carefully scooted a little ways away from Lucy so that he could peer down at the tiny bundle in his father's arms. At the moment, Mila was half-asleep and so wasn't moving around much. As the boy looked at the baby with an unreadable expression, everyone else inched forward to get a better look at the infant.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Silver addressed the baby, asking, "What's your name, baby?"

All the adults were too stunned to react, so Silver was able to wait for a response for several moments before asking, "Baby, can you hear me?"

Mila's response was to sneeze and open her eyes a little wider to give her brother an infant version of a half-sleepy, half-bored expression while sucking on the pacifier in her mouth.

Frowning in frustration and confusion, Silver said to Gray, "Daddy, the baby won't talk to me."

Trying to cover his snort of laughter by clearing his throat, Gray replied, "Well, the baby is too little right now to talk."

Looking back at the baby, Silver said matter-of-factly, "He is really tiny."

Again, Gray and Lucy exchanged matching looks as they both realized that the moment of truth had come at last. Who was going to break the news? And most importantly, how was Silver going to react?


	3. Chapter 3

Looking at his wife, Gray knew that he couldn't in all good conscience push this responsibility onto Lucy. She was completely drained and he was fairly certain that if Silver went into one of his rare 'tantrum' modes, Lucy would not be able to cope with the emotional stress. Either she would break down completely or she would go into a towering rage, but no matter which direction this went it would only end in disaster. He didn't want to imagine the kind of lecture he might get from some of the hospital staff about there being other patients in the adjoining rooms. Gray didn't have have much hope that Silver would react favorably to having a baby sister rather than a brother, but Gray was hoping that should things turn ugly, he could quickly hand off Mila and then take Silver somewhere and have a 'man-to-tiny-man' talk with him and at least get him to the point of accepting his disappointment.

Giving Lucy a look that said 'trust me, I've got this', Gray said very seriously, "Actually Silver, do you remember that time when Mommy and I came home with pictures of the baby to show you?"

Silver scrunched up his face and concentrated hard for a few moments before he replied, "Yes, those weird pictures that were all dark."

"That's right," said Gray before saying very carefully, "And do you remember what Mommy and I told you about the baby?"

"Umm," said Silver as he thought hard again for a bit and then said, "You told me the picture was really dark because there's no light in Mommy's tummy to hurt the baby's eyes."

"Good grief, this kid has a good memory. I'll need to be careful what I say around him," Gray thought to himself just a moment before he heard a snort of laughter from someone (Gray assumed it was Natsu) that was quickly muffled.

Out loud, Gray said, "That was one thing we told you, but there was also something more important that Mommy and I talked with you about. Do you remember?"

Scrunching up his face again, this time in a kind of distaste, Silver answered with, "You said the baby was a girl, but I don't want it to be a girl. I want a brother."

At this point, Gray was torn. So far, Silver was surprising him by remaining calm and under control, but with what he needed to say next, Gray doubted the boy would stay that way for much longer. If he was going to take Silver out of the room to avoid a scene, this would be the perfect time. However, Lucy was Silver's mother and so should be included in the conversation as well and that meant staying in the room.

Next moment, the Fullbuster females eliminated any need for Gray to choose a course of action by deciding for him.

It began with Mila squirming in Gray's arms and beginning to fuss a little before letting out a plaintive cry. Both parents knew from experience that this was the 'I'm hungry, feed me' cry.

As she reached out to take Mila, Lucy said, "While I'm feeding her, why don't you take Silver on a walk or something? I'm sure you both have things to talk about."

Getting up from the bed, Gray kissed his wife's temple as he laid the baby in her arms and whispered in Lucy's ear, "Have I told you how much I love you today?" to which Lucy responded non-verbally with an upraised eyebrow and a grin that said 'you could stand to say it more often, but I love you too'.

Turning to Silver, Gray said, "So, you heard Mommy. Wanna come on a walk with your old man?"

Silver's response was to whirl around to scooch close enough to Lucy, give her a quick peck on the cheek and whisper to the baby, "Bye Baby,"before scooting off the edge of the bed and looking up expectantly at this father. Grinning down at his son, Gray quirked his eyebrow quizzically at the boy while holding out his hand, non-verbally asking his question. Without hesitation, Silver took hold of his father's hand and pulled him out of the room.

When the boys were gone, Wendy took a few steps towards the bed and asked Lucy, "How are you feeling?"

The temptation to lie and say she was doing just fine rose for an instant before it was quickly squashed as Lucy remembered exactly who she was talking to. Even Natsu and Happy would be able to see right through her if she tried.

Letting out a sigh as she leaned back against her pillows, Lucy gave her friend a tired smile as she answered, "I'm holding out, but I could certainly do with a good, long nap after this."

Surprisingly, it was Erza who asked in a concerned tone, "Should we not have come so soon? We should have waited until tomorrow, shouldn't we?"

Shaking her head once, Lucy replied, "No, I'm really glad you guys came and I know Gray is as well."

Giving them all a grateful smile, Lucy finished with, "Besides, these moments are best when shared with family."

While Lucy was a little anxious about Gray and Silver, when Mila was done eating, Lucy willingly and happily handed the infant over to Erza. Since she had children of her own, Erza deftly placed Mila against her shoulder and patted the infant's back until she burped. That task being done, Erza cradled Mila in her arms for a few minutes before passing Mila along to Natsu. Then a little while later, it was Wendy's turn. A few times, Mila's eyes opened the tiniest bit so that it seemed as though she was trying to look up at the faces of her extended family members. Mostly, Mila was content to take her mother's lead and rest peacefully while their family kept watch.

* * *

Outside, Gray was once again torn between two conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he knew that now was the best time to talk with Silver about the baby being a girl while on the other hand, seeing the boy so excited about getting to spend some alone time with dad just made Gray want to put off the conversation as long as possible. Mentally, Gray kicked himself. He needed to quit acting like a wimp and just get this over with already.

Gently squeezing Silver's hand, Gray waited until the boy turned to look up at him before he asked, "Why don't we sit down over there?" as he pointed at a nearby bench.

"Ok," replied Silver simply before letting go of Gray's hand to race over to the bench. Just like the hospital bed, the bench was a little too tall for Silver to climb on his own. Unlike before, however, as Silver got close he created an ice block just big enough for him to step on and reach the seat on his own. Gray couldn't help the proud grin on his face as he sat down next to his son and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

Deciding to take a slightly indirect approach, Gray asked smoothly, "So, what did you think of the baby? She's cute, right?"

"I guess so," replied Silver with a slight shrug and looking completely calm and happy.

Internally, Gray let out a long sigh. It was times like these when he wondered if maybe, just maybe his son was starting to take after Natsu. Not a lot, but mostly in the department of 'being completely dense' or 'somehow missing the obvious'. Granted, Silver was only two years old, so Gray's use of a feminine pronoun likely wasn't going to register on the boy's radar...but then again, it all had to start from somewhere.

Choosing to just 'drop the bomb' and see how it exploded, Gray said carefully, "Silver, remember when Mommy and Daddy told you that you were going to be a big brother and that the baby was going to be a girl?"

Nodding up at his father with an infantile version of a displeased frown, Silver replied, "Yeah, but I said I wanted a baby brother."

Patting the boy's head gently while saying in a soothing yet firm tone, Gray said, "Mommy and I understand that you wanted a baby brother, but the truth is that you just met your baby sister upstairs. The baby is a girl."

Silver didn't answer right away. His frown became more pronounced as he turned and looked straight in front of him. While Gray wasn't entirely sure how his son was going to react in a few minutes' time, he was able to see that his son's frown was one of concentrated thought and not childish temper or pique. That was hopefully a good sign.

Finally, Silver returned his attention to his father and said, "Daddy?"

"Yes, Silver?"

"Do we have to keep her?" asked Silver seriously, "Can't we trade with somebody else for a boy?"

For just a moment, Gray wasn't quite sure how to react. Should he laugh at the way Silver's two-year-old logic worked? Should he scold his son for even coming up with such an idea? Neither of those reactions seemed like a good idea to Gray as one might make his son feel ridiculous and the other would ignore the fact that Silver was too young to fully appreciate what he was requesting.

Wrapping an arm around his son to pull him against his side, Gray answered, "No, we can't do that, Silver. A baby isn't like a toy that you can return to the store if you don't like it."

"Oh," replied Silver in a half-surprised, half-confused tone.

"Besides," said Gray as he gave Silver's side a slight squeeze, "Mommy and I love this baby just as much as we love you. We never would have dreamed of giving you away to another family after you were born."

"Oh," repeated Silver, but this time understanding was starting to dawn on his face.

"Mommy and I will understand if you are disappointed and a little sad about not having a baby brother," continued Gray, "but we hope that you will do your best to be a good big brother to your baby sister."

"Ok, Daddy," Silver said after a slight pause, "I promise."

Giving his son another squeeze, Gray said sincerely, "Glad to hear it, Buddy."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Silver?"

"What do brothers do with their sisters?"

Having a slightly difficult time containing his grin, Gray answered as seriously as possible, "Well, right now your sister is just a baby and can't really look out for herself, so you, Mommy and I need to help her until she's big enough to take care of herself."

"What can I do to help her?"

"One thing you can do is keep an eye on her," said Gray, "Right now your sister isn't going to do much more than sleep, cry and eat, but once she starts moving around, you can make sure she doesn't get into trouble or hurt herself."

"All right, Daddy," replied Silver in a completely serious way that once again made Gray want to grin in amusement and pride, "What else?"

Patting his son's head, Gray replied, "I think that's enough to be getting on with for now. You're a smart boy and I'm sure you can figure out what a good big brother does for his little sister on your own."

"Ok, Daddy," Silver reiterated like a soldier ready to carry out an important mission, "I'll do my best."

"That's my boy," and this time Gray didn't bother trying to smother his enormous grin as he picked Silver up and gave him a proper hug.

* * *

When Gray and Silver arrived back in the hospital room, Wendy was currently holding the baby. As soon as they realized who was entering the room, all eyes immediately looked down at Silver to see what sort of a mood he was in. Surprisingly, his face was impassive and cool so the group wasn't quite sure how 'the talk' had went. So, their attention then turned to the parent to see if they could pick up any clues from him. However, they were once again disappointed as Gray was sporting an expression almost identical to Silver's.

"Like father, like son," Erza muttered in grudging respect as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Huh?" inquired Natsu, "What'd you say?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," Erza replied in a calm, cool tone.

Fortunately, Natsu knew that tone and didn't press the matter and instead decided to just address the 'elephant in the room', asking, "So, Silver, ready to meet your baby sister now?"

While no one was really and truly surprised at Natsu's blunt remark, everyone who was not acquainted with the fact that Silver had resigned himself to having a sister felt their blood and hearts freeze. Gray nearly lost his composure when Silver turned to Wendy and took a few steps forward with an impassive expression on his face. However, it wasn't so much what his son did as the fact that his big, brave, adult friends all took an involuntary step back from the 'oh-so-scary' two-year-old boy. Silver didn't say a word, but simply stood there, staring up at Wendy until the young woman seemed to grasp the situation and carefully knelt down on the floor so the big brother could look at his baby sister in a different light.

After observing for a few moments, Silver looked back around at Gray and asked, "Daddy? What's her name?"

"Mila."

Nodding once before turning his attention back to the tiny bundle, Silver said, "Mila, I'm Silver. Your big brother."

As if in response to this statement, Mila let out a long yawn and blinked her eyes a few times as she seemed to try and focus her infant gaze on her older sibling. To everyone's surprise, Silver turned his back on the baby and walked away. A moment later, Silver's intentions became clear as he climbed back up onto the hospital bed and sat beside his mother. Then, wonder of wonders, Silver looked Wendy straight in the eyes and held out his arms in front of him.

"I wanna hold Mila," said the boy matter-of-factly before he promptly remembered his manners and added, "Please."

Seeing both Lucy and Gray's approving expressions (Lucy's mixed together with relief and Gray's with pride), Wendy stood back up and said with a smile, "Of course, Silver," before she carefully laid the baby girl in her big brother's arms.

Even though Mila was about half his size, after a little guidance from his parents, Silver properly supported the infant's head with one arm while wrapping the other arm around her middle to keep her nestled on his lap. If the scene wasn't already adorable enough, Mila let out another yawn after which her face seemed to relax into a kind of smile. Once again, Gray almost cracked up when Silver looked completely lost for a moment before his cheeks flushed slightly as he took in the sight of his baby sister smiling up at him. However, he felt a lump rise in his throat when his gaze locked with Lucy's and he saw a few tears swimming in her eyes as she gave him a relieved, grateful smile and mouthed 'I love you'.

Yes, today had been a good day.


	4. Chapter 4

The day of Lucy and Mila's discharge was filled with mixed emotions for the somewhat veteran parents. While both Gray and Lucy were positive that they were going to sleep more comfortably at home with familiar and cozy surroundings, that was just the issue. They knew that once they got home and nightfall came, there were no nurses to carry Mila into their bedroom when it was time to feed and then whisk her away again, thereby enabling the parents to get a relatively undisturbed and good night's sleep.

For all that, when they stepped through the front door and laid down their overnight bags, Gray and Lucy couldn't help but exchange matching grins of contentment. They were home again.

Leaning over to give his wife's cheek a kiss, Gray said, "I'll check our stores and see what I can whip together for lunch while you and Mila go relax on the couch."

Giving Gray a grateful smile, Lucy did as he had suggested and had no sooner gotten herself and her daughter comfortably settled then she dozed off. Covering a yawn of his own, Gray stretched and headed for the kitchen. Opening the cupboards and fridge, Gray saw that someone had not only come by to take care of any food that was about to go bad, but they had also restocked everything.

"Probably Wendy and Lisanna," Gray said to himself with a smile as he gathered up some supplies, "At least, they probably came up with the idea and everyone else contributed."

As he turned to set down the items in his hands, Gray noticed a note on the counter. Bending over it, Gray began to read:

 _Hey there lovebirds!_

 _We helped ourselves to your leftover food. Tell Lucy that the lemon chicken dish needs to be a part of the menu at the guild! It was amazing!_

 _Also, we figured you'd probably need more than just a little cleaning and food added to your stores, so Silver is going to be spending a few nights away from home. If he gets really homesick, we'll bring him back sooner, but otherwise, it'll give the rest of you a chance to settle in. Our expected compensation is a trip to the guild hall with little Mila in tow ready to meet her family!_

It wasn't signed, but Gray had no trouble recognizing the handwriting as Levy's. Grinning and shaking his head in amusement, Gray set the note aside and went to work. Ten minutes later, Gray stepped back with a nod of approval at his handiwork. Definitely wouldn't be winning any prizes for presentation, but a good, home-cooked meal didn't need to be evaluated. Simply enjoyed. Especially after having to survive on hospital rations the past couple of days.

Heading into the living room, Gray's smile softened as he saw his two beloved girls fast asleep on the couch. While Lucy usually preferred to sleep on her side or stomach, she was lying on her back with one hand holding Mila still and her free hand cupped next to her cheek like she always did. Looking over at Mila, Gray saw that the girl was already taking after her mother in that respect. As quietly as he could, Gray headed back to the kitchen to eat his share of lunch before starting to unpack their belongings and finish getting the nursery ready for its newest occupant.

About twenty minutes later, the tranquility of the house was broken by an insistent and rather abrasive knock on the door. Both Mila and Lucy were startled awake, hearts racing. Even though her mind was still rather foggy and unfocused, Lucy knew with a mother's sense that her little baby was about to react to the situation in the only way she could at this point.

Carefully adjusting Mila higher up on her chest, Lucy awkwardly sat up and began cooing, "There, there. It's all right. You're all right, Mila," but in spite of her efforts, Mila inhaled deeply and loosed a high, plantive wail.

During all this, Gray had literally dropped everything in his hands (so that loud banging from the upper floor didn't calm Mila at all) and raced down the stairs. As he passed by the living room, Gray's eyes locked with Lucy's for an instant. Lucy was an experienced mother, but the sudden awakening from a sound sleep and a baby crying in distress were causing her own eyes to begin swimming. Unconsciously, Gray gritted his teeth and even managed to leave a layer of frost on the doorknob as he opened the front door. Then, when he saw who was standing on the front porch, his expression became even more stony.

"Hey there, Neighbor! Haven't seen you around lately! How's the wife? Still waddling around waiting for the balloon to pop? Hahaha!"

"Don't mind him, Mr. Fullbuster. My husband can be so crude sometimes, can't he? It really is such a chore trying to keep him in line sometimes, but mostly, I just try to make sure his bad habits don't rub off on the kids. Discipline, my dear Mr. Fullbuster. Children can't be raised without discipline, now can they?"

It was at times like these when Gray had to ask himself why in blazes did Lucy and he decide to move into this neighborhood. In front of him were Bart and Berta Bagslox. A couple of horse pills to swallow on the best of days.

The husband had absolutely no filter to what he said and at first Gray hadn't minded since he did know a few people like that (and he secretly knew that he was sometimes the same way). The difference was the fact that Bart was a moron. Yes, Gray had called Natsu and his other friends idiots before, but this guy truly was one. And in true moronic form, Bart had not a clue in the world of his idiocy.

As for the wife, she was constantly giving advice to others whether they wanted it or not. Yet heaven help the individual who tried to reciprocate her 'good deeds'. Berta had no issues with pointing out the flaws of her spouse and offspring (more frequently the former) in public, but she herself was a saint whose goodwill needed to be accepted and appreciated by all around her.

To say these two had fallen in love and had mutually agreed to get married was a stretch far too taxing on even the most active and generous imagination. Gray had once theorized that Bart and Berta had somehow ingested an expired love potion, which had exacerbated their already grating personalities while simultaneously making them inseparable. He'd received a cuff on the back of his head from Lucy in reproach, but she'd also grinned in amusement at the idea.

What little self-control and politeness Gray managed to muster was barely enough to keep his voice level as he replied, "My wife and I weren't expecting any visitors quite so soon af-"

"So soon?!" exclaimed Berta with wide and wild gestures of her hands, "Why it's been an absolute age since I've seen your darling wife! I have a few books that I plan to bring over for her to read before the baby arrives, you know. I also have a few pointers for when she goes to the hospital. One can't be too careful in a hospital, you know. You turn your back for one minute and suddenly little valuables turn up missing. It's quite scandalous!"

In true Bagslox fashion, neither husband or wife had picked up on the fact that an infant was crying in the house. Neither did they notice that Gray was barely keeping his temper in check. Every muscle within his body was warring against the instinct to throw these two off his property and telling them to never so much as look at him or his family again.

It is anybody's guess how things may have ended up, but just as Gray saw Bart open his mouth (and Gray's mind flashed with an image of him planting a fist inside the gaping pie-hole) a much more welcome voice said, "Oh, good afternoon all. Lovely day, isn't it?"

If the Bagsloxes were a person's worst nightmare for neighbors, the Wingley family were a lovely, relaxing dream. Aden and Gloriana Wingley were an older couple whose children had long since grown up and started families of their own. As such, they had become like grandparents to all the children in the neighborhood. However, as soon as they learned that neither Gray or Lucy had any blood relations left, the kindly couple had been even more supportive and attentive towards them, yet never overbearing or oppressive.

As soon as Gray met Gloriana's gaze, the woman was immediately able to quickly size up the situation, wailing infant, insensible neighbors, infuriated husband and all. Her kind yet confident grin to Gray was able to take some of the edge off his temper. Only one other woman in all the world held such sway over him and Gray had married her.

Looking back at Bart and Berta, Gloriana said smoothly, "My husband and I were just going for a walk around the neighborhood like you advised us, Berta. The exercise really does do wonders for the circulation."

Immediately, Berta's expression filled with self-satisfaction as she replied, "But of course," before she turned and told Gray, "I will be back a bit later to drop off those books for you and your wife," then grabbed her husband's elbow and said decisively, "Come along."

Slow on the uptake, Bart asked almost stupidly, "Where are we going?"

Not even bothering to look behind her, Berta replied, "You need some exercise, so we're going for a walk."

With every retreating step the Bagsloxes took, Gray felt the tension in his muscles release a little at a time. Gray was barely able to suppress a grin of amusement as he saw Bert's horrified expression as his spouse dragged him away to do _exercise._ It was apparent that the man's brain was desperately trying to come up with some sort of excuse or argument to get out of the activity, but due to the absence of an epiphany the man could only allow himself to be propelled down the walkway by his far more strong-willed wife.

Quickly returning his attention to Gloriana, Gray gave her what he thought was a laid back grin (but which was actually more a grin of immense relief) and mouthed, "Thanks a lot." Her only response was to wave a dismissive hand in front of her face, wind the same hand through the crook of her own husband's arm and smile pleasantly at the Bagsloxes as they barreled their way towards them.

Ever so carefully, Gray closed the door and let out a huge sigh of relief before heading towards the living room. Just before he entered the room, Gray realized that Lucy had somehow managed to quiet Mila. Next moment, he realized that his wife and daughter were no longer in the room. Before he had a chance to consider where they might have gone, Gray heard a faint sound coming from upstairs. The moment he recognized the sound for what it was, an appreciative grin finished wiping away the frustration and stress lines from his features.

Stepping as lightly as possible on each stair, Gray made his way back to the nursery. However, rather than entering the room, Gray folded his arms and leaned against the door frame as he listened to his wife sing their little Mila to sleep.

 _"I'm crying because I'm happy, I'm crying because I'm sad._

 _Living honestly like that, I can completely be myself."_

This was the first time in over a year that Gray had heard Lucy sing that song. The last time had been just before Silver began talking and walking at about ten months old. He was able to pinpoint the time fairly accurately since his son had somehow gotten it into his head that big boys don't listen to lullabies. That first night, Silver had slept through the night just fine, but his father on the other hand...

 _"The blue sky and sea embrace everything._

 _Letting it ride the wind, I whisper: 'It's fine to just be yourself.'_

 _Just stay as who you are and let's each embrace our own happiness._

 _When the sky changes color while walking forward, my heart shivers and beats loudly._

 _This is something you have given to me."_

Having been so enthralled with Lucy's singing, Gray snapped back to reality when he saw his wife lay Mila down in her crib. Gray couldn't help the grin that spread over his face as he saw the little mite sleeping so peacefully after that aural treat. Deep down, he hoped that Mila would take after him when it came to lullabies. Only when sung by Lucy, though.

As soon as she turned around after covering Mila with a blanket, Lucy's eyes connected with Gray's and they gave each other matching grins. Wordlessly, Gray asked if Lucy was hungry at all, but she merely shook her head. Before he could inquire what she planned to do, Lucy took Gray by the hand and led him to the master bedroom. Even if Gray had been in the mood, he knew by the way Lucy was holding his hand that she only wanted to snuggle and nap for a bit. Sure, she had already dozed on the couch, but they always slept better in each other's company. The other's presence made them feel safe and at peace.

Climbing onto the bed from their respective sides, Gray and Lucy met in the middle before they lay down. Gray lay flat with his left arm outstretched, while Lucy came up next to him and lay her head over his heart center. Eyes half-closed, Gray reached up to run his fingers through Lucy's long hair and occasionally massage her scalp and the back of her neck. For her part, Lucy started to vaguely hum the lullaby's tune. Before a minute had passed, the couple had fallen asleep.

In the weeks and months to come, Gray and Lucy would spend most of their time in 'parent mode'. As a result, it made the little time they were able to just relax with each other as husband and wife all the more precious.

 **Author's Note:**

Finally, I got around to finishing this part. For the longest time, I had no idea what I was going to do after they got home...and then, out of the blue, the Bagsloxes showed up. After those two came along, things just kind of evolved from there.

The 'lullaby' Lucy was singing was the 13th ending song from the Fairy Tail anime entitled 'Kimi ga Kureta Mono' by Shizuka Kudou. I was trying to find a song specifically from the anime to use and this one sounded the most like a lullaby to me.

I'm not sure how many more chapters of this I'm going to do, but I do have several more things that I'm wanting to do with Silver, so I'm guessing at least four more. I say 'at least' because more than likely I'm going to wind up doing more than that.

There have been several people who have commented and requested different scenarios such as Silver and Mila more grown up and Silver having to protect his beloved sibling from slobbering boys. So, if you have anything you'd like to see happen in the story before things are wrapped up, let me know and I'll do what I can to fulfill your request! :)


End file.
